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TRIBUTE TO MY FATHER, FILLMER
HEVENER
By Yolanda Hevener Scheib
(delivered at the family
funeral, Aug. 25, 2017)
DAD'S PURPOSE
2 Tim 1:9
Who hath saved us and called us with a holy calling, not
according to our works, but in accordance with His own purpose
and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before the
world began.
Daddy understood from a young age that God
had called him for a purpose. He chose a wife who also believed
the same and they, together, started their purpose in life.
GOD DIRECTED HIS PATH
Prov 3:5-7 Trust in
the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own
understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall
direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes, fear the Lord
and depart from evil.
Daddy lived this instruction given
in Proverbs. He not only verbally taught this to Dennis and me,
but lived his life in accordance to his instructions to us.
Dennis and I saw a man - our father- depend on God for guidance
and wisdom. And God honored Dad and directed his walk in life
and gave him wisdom that I am in awe of. Together, he and Mom
gave Dennis and me a firm foundation on which to build our lives
so that when we left home to start our own lives we would look
to God to direct our lives and have hope as the pressures of
life touched us.
DAD'S GIFTS
Dad had many
accomplishments, but it was Dad's prayer life and Bible study
habits that I admired most. He recognized that in order to do
God's will, he must pray and read God's instructions and
promises in the Bible. Not one phone call would end before Daddy
would tell me he was daily praying for me and my family and
Dennis and his family. I know he would pray for specific things
about our lives as well. While going through Dad's
paperwork on his desk trying to sort things, I saw a small
notebook. On the first page was written a list of items dad
wanted to remember. There wasn't anything else, it looked like,
in the book. Then I saw a piece of paper sticking out that was
taped to a page in the middle of the notebook. The heading on
the pages was, "Prayers Answered". One of the answered prayers
was from January of this year, when he wrote, "Yolanda is taking
more interest in her health - Praise God!!" Daddy prayed for us
and thanked Him when those prayers were answered. In his library
are numerous Bibles and commentaries marked up with notes he
made - he was an avid Bible scholar.
Eph 2:10
For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good
works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
1 Pet
4:10-11 Each of you should use whatever gift you
have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's
grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do as
one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they
should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all
things God may be praised through Jesus Christ.
Matt 5:16
In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they
may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
God gave Daddy many, many talents, as we all know. He was a
self-taught, excellent musician, learning to play the guitar,
mandolin and fiddle. He more than mastered the mandolin and I
never, never got tired of listening to him play. I loved "Orange
Blossom Special" and remember asking Daddy to learn that song
for me on the fiddle. He did, and I will never forget the many
times I would sit at his feet and listen to that song. He always
tapped his foot when he played, and Dennis and I would tease him
that he wouldn't be able to play if he couldn't tap his foot. So
we would try to hold his foot down with our hands, giggling. He
used this gift of music to inspire others and would join local
bands to have fun but also in the hope he would be a witness and
that others would see God through him.
After retiring
from teaching, he still continued to use his gifts from God by
becoming a pastor. He preached every Sabbath until he went to
sleep in Jesus.
Eph 5:17 Don't live life
carelessly, unthinkingly. Make sure you know what the Master
wants.
TRUSTING GOD
A friend of Dad's emailed me
the other day. I want to share a portion of her thoughts as she
has been working through this.
"Your dad emailed me
before his surgery & said the Lord had assured him that he still
had work to do. Yesterday I wondered if Fillmer missed what God
told him. But after spending today re-reading some of his
emails, I'm sure he didn't miss a thing. Fillmer lives on in
each of us - encouraging us to use our gifts that God has give
us to expand His kingdom. That encouragement is Fillmer's work
continuing. To God be the glory for a life well lived.
THE LOVE OF OUR HEAVENLY FATHER
As I have been processing
dad's death, it struck me that there isn't anyone else in this
world that will love me the way Daddy did. I have many people
that do love me, but I don't and will never again have the
special relationship I had with Dad. That bond is not something
I know how to put into words. I always felt perfect in his eyes.
He always told me how beautiful I was and how proud he was of
me. I felt safe and secure knowing I had Daddy. Then God used
these thoughts to open my mind to realize the depth of His love
for me. If I feel this loved and beautiful and perfect in my
earthly father's eyes, I cannot even comprehend God's love for
me. Dad's and my love for each other was imperfect due to human
nature, yet it is perfect in my mind. The depth of God's perfect
love for me is not something I can comprehend. As I felt safe in
the arms and on the lap of my earthly father, I have absolutely
nothing to fear in the arms of Jesus.
Mom, Dennis, Fe,
Frank, Ross, Katharine, Brittany and Kelli - Commit to memory
Deuteronomy 31:6 - "Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid
or terrified of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he
will never leave you or forsake you."
WE ARE PRECIOUS TO
GOD
Ps 116:15 Precious in the sight of the
Lord is the death of his saints.
David, it seems, was
reminding the Jewish families of the mercies received. The Lord
values the lives of His saints, and often spares them where
others perish. But, they shall not die prematurely, and when
their work is done, and it is time for them to die, then their
deaths shall be precious. Those who are redeemed with precious
blood are so dear to God that even their deaths are precious to
Him. If we have walked before Him in the land of the livng, we
need not fear to die before Him when the hour of our departure
is at hand.
In closing, I want to read 1 Thesalonians
4:13-18:
Verse 13: But I would not have you to be
ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye
sorrow not, even as others which have no hope,
14:
for if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them
also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
15:
For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which
are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not
prevent them which are asleep.
16: For the Lord
himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice
of the archangel, and with the trump of God; and the dead in
Christ shall rise first:
17: Then we which are
alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the
clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever
be with the Lord.
Ps 23 The Lord is my
shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green
pastures; he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my
soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his names'
sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of
death, I will fear no evil; for thou are with me; thy rod and
thy staff they comfort me. Thou prepares a table before me in
the presence of mine enemies; thou anointest my head with oil,
my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the
Lord forever.
MY PRAYER
Our Father in Heaven:
We come to you this afternoon to thank you for creating Dad
and choosing all who are here to be a part of his life. He loved
you more than anything, putting you first. I pray that we - the
family and friends still remaining - will continue spreading
your love to those we meet and they can truly say that they know
you better by knowing us.
Bless Mom, keep her safe, and
send some extra angels to gather around her as she transitions
to a new chapter in her life.
Be with Dennis as he takes
on the responsibility of being the patriarch of our family. Give
him strength so that when we call on him, he will have wisdom.
Be with me as the daughter that I can be a support to Mom,
and also to Dennis. Be with Fe and Frank as they support Dennis
and me and Mom. Give them wisdom. Bless each of the
grandchildren as they start their paths in life that the memory
of their grandfather will give them encouragement and strength
and hope.
Thank you again for being our loving father and
we long for your second return.
Amen
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